Dress pattern marker



Oct. 9, 1951 DRn-z 2,570,328

DRESS PATTERN MARKER Filed Sept. 18, 1948 #Trowa/5x6.,

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 DREss PATTERN MARKER Lawrence L. Dritz, Lawrence,N. Y., assignor to John Dritz & Sons, New York, N. Y., a partnershipApplication September 18, 1948, Serial No. 49,895

(Cl. 1Z0-13) 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an improved type of dress patternmarker.

Dress making and particularly home dress making is normally carried outby using paper patterns which not only determine the size andshape ofthe individual dress segments, such as the skirt, bodice, sleeves, etc.,but also are provided with indicia at various points on the pattern toguide the dress maker in the carrying out of Various supplementaryoperations such as darting,vpleat ing, and the like. In normal use, thepattern is placed upon and suitably oriented with respect to the fabricsegment which is to be incorporated into the garment and marks are thenmade through the pattern onto the fabric to indicate the intelligenceimprinted or otherwise carried by thepattern. It often occurs that twoidentical fabric segments are to be employed and it is extremelyconvenient if, in a single marking operation, both of these fabricsegments can be simultaneously marked. Various dress pattern markershave been devised in the past, a few of which are capable of marking twofabric segments at the same time. In most, the marking is accomplishedvery awkwardly and it is onlyV in the pattern marker described in ClaudeSchaffner Patent No. 2,448,627 of September 7, 1948, and entitled DressPattern Markers that a marker is shown which not only permits accurateand simultaneous placement of the marking units onto fabric segments,but which also causes these marking units to rotate, preferably inopposite directions, so'as to make an easily distinguished mark on theAfabric without harming the latter.

However, the marker of the said patent is subject to a number ofdisadvantages.' Most serious of these is the fact that it requires twohands'to operate, one hand to press the marking units toward one anotherand into engagement with the fabric and another hand to rotate themarking for a number of operations, all of which makes v for relativeexpensiveness of the finished product. Yet another drawback is the factthat rotation of the marking units in a given direction will proceeduntil certain of the moving parts have jammed by being slid one over theother.v As a result, unless great .care is exercised by the user inrotating the marking units, they will become `stuck in `one extremeposition' and will be extremely difficult to move from that position. Afurther drawback to the construction disclosed in the said patentresides in the fact that the rotating holders for the marking units areextremely inefcient since the marking units must be damaged or partiallydestroyed in order to be inserted into the holders, are very difficultto remove from the holders, and after having been in the holders for anylength of time are no longer securely held therein so as to rotatetherewith.

It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a dresspattern marker which avoids the above disadvantages.

A more specific object of the present invention is to devise a dresspattern marker which is extremely easy to manipulate and the operationof which is smooth and positive.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a dress patternmarker the manipulation of which can be carried out with only one hand,thus leaving the other hand free to ensure accurate alignment betweenthe marking units and the dress pattern and fabric.

Yet another object of the present invention is to devise such a markerthe holders for the marking units of which are of improved construction.

A still further object of the present invention is to devise a markerhaving a positive stop limiting the rotation of the marking units andthus making it impossible for the marker to jam.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a marker structurewhich is of simpler and more expensive construction than comparablemarkers of the prior art.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects asmay hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a dress patternmarker as defined in the appended claim and as described in thisspecification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the marker in use;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; l

Fig. 3 is a top view showing the moving parts of the marker in oneextreme position; v

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the oppositeextreme position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 5 5 ofFig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional vview taken along the line B- ofFig. l.

Broadly considered, my dress pattern marker comprises an upper arm A anda lower arm B, one above the other, connected together at one end andhaving their unconnected and .free ends movable toward one another.Holders generally designated C and Ctadapted to receive marking unitsare rotatably mounted near the free ends of the arms A and Brespectively so as to register with one another when said free ends aremoved together. tating the holders C and C', that handle D also beingpositioned near the free end of one of the arms so that when it isgrasped by one hand, it may be pushed down to cause the two arms A and Bto come together and may be manipulated so as to cause the holders C andC to rotate. This leaves the other hand of the user free to properlyalign the holders C and C' with the fabric being marked and with thedress pattern secured thereto. In addition, the mechanism for rotatingthe holders C and C includes a positive stop E defined by a stationaryand a moving part of the marker, these two parts coming into positiveabutting Contact at extreme positions of rotation of the holders C andC' and thus limiting their rotation in either direction. Because of thepositive abutting contact, no jamming is possible and consequently nocare need be exerted by the user in manipulating the handle D.

In the form specically here illustrated, the arms A and B are formed ofstrips 2 and 4 of a suitable structural material, preferably a somewhatresilient material such as spring steel. These strips 2 and 4 are spacedone above the other and are connected at one end by a connecting member8 which is preferably of the same material as the strips 2 and 4 andmay, as shown,

`be integral therewith. If the connecting portion 6 is resilient, it isnot necessary that the strips 2 and 4 also be resilient, but for reasonsof economy and production it has proved to be eX- tremely advantageousto form the strips 2 and 4 and the connecting portion 8 from the sameresilient bendable material, this being done by stamping a long stripfrom suitable sheet material and then bending that strip to the shapeillustrated. The arms A and B may be of any desired length, but it ispreferred that they be relatively long, on the order of eight inches, sothat any suitable area of the dress pattern with which the marker isused may be reached without having to bend, tear, or otherwise deformthe pattern itself.

The holder C and the handle D are both secured to the upper arm A nearits free end and preferably as close thereto as is practical. 1n theform here illustrated, the holder C and handle D are in part integrallyformed (see Fig. 5), the

holder including a tubular portion 8 which projects through an apertureI9 in the arm A and the handle D being in the form of a knob I2 integralwith the tubular portion 8 but having a diameter greater than that ofthe aperture I0 Yso as not to be passable therethrough. The interiordiameter of the tubular portion'8 is preferably slightly greater thanthe exterior diameter of the marking unit I4 tc be secured therein so Ahandle D is provided for rothat the tubular portion 8 does not itselfgrip and hold the marking unit I4, which may take the form of crayon,chalk, or the like, in fixed relation therewith. The tubular portion 8is preferably slotted as at I6 so that it is somewhat resilientlyexpandable and a sleeve I8 of resilient material such as rubber isreceivable thereover, the sleeve having a lip 2i] which extends over thelower edge of the tubular portion 8 all around its circumference, theinternal surface 22 of the lip 20 having a diameter slightly less thanthat of the marking unit I4. It will thus be apparent that the markingunit I4 will be frictionally Y ter.

gripped by the rubber sleeve I8 and that the sleeve I8 will in turn befrictionally gripped by the tubular portion B. Consequently, the markingunit i4 will be firmly maintained in the holder C by frictionalengagement with the lip 28 and when the holder C is rotated, the markingunit I4 will also rotate. However, because engagement with the markingunit I4 is by means of the soft rubber lip 23, the marking unit I4 willnot be scratched or otherwise damaged when it is inserted into theholder C and by the same token it may be easily removed therefrom andreplaced with another marking unit I4 either of a different color, toindicate a different dressmaking operation, or of the same color whenthe rst marking unit I4 has become worn. The knob I2 is provided with abore 24 communicating with the interior of the tubular portion 8 and ifthe marking unit I4 should for some reason be forced inside the tubularportion 8 or otherwise hard to remove from the holder C, a pin or otherimplement may be inserted through the bore 24 in order to force themarking unit I4 out from the holder C.

VThe holder C on the lower arm B is slightly different in constructionfrom the holder C. It comprises a tube 8 having a reduced portion 26passable through the aperture I0 in the arm B and spun over as at 28 onthe underside thereof so as to rotatably secure the tube 8' to the armB. The remainder of the holder construction is similar to that of theholder C. The reduced portion 26 is also provided with a bore 24 for thesame purpose as the bore 24 in the knob I2.

Rotation of the handle I2 will, since it is integral with the holder C,cause rotation of the lat- A plurality of interconnected elements mustbe provided for transmitting rotation of the holder C to the holder C.These elements include members 30 and 30 here shown in the form offingers secured to the holders C and C respectively and rotatabletherewith. The member 38 is made fast to the tubular portion 8 of theholder C just below the arm A and between that arm and the upper edge ofthe sleeve I8. The member 30 is fast on the tube 8 of the holder C justabove the arm B and below the lower edge of the sleeve I8. It will beapparent that each of the members 30 and 38 not only rotate with theholders C and C but also prevent them from sliding out through theapertures I0 and I0 in which they are received.

A lever 32 is pivotally mounted on the underside of the arm A by meansof the eyelet 34. One end of the lever 32 is pivotally connected, bymeans of eyelet 36, to a link 38 the other end of which is pivotallysecured, by means of eyelet 4D, to the projecting end ofthe member 30.The projecting end Vof the member 30 is in turn connected, by means ofeyelet 42, to one end of link 44 which passes over and across the top ofthe arm B and is provided with an upwardly reversely bent portion 46terminating in the part 48 secured by means of eyelet 50 to the lever32. VAs a result of this interconnection, whenever the handle D isrotated, thev arm 30 is rotated and this in turn causes movement of thelink 38, the lever 32, the link 44, and the member 30', thus rotatingthe holder C simultaneously with but in the opposite direction from theholder C.

It will be noted that since the link 38 is secured to the upper sides ofthe member 30 and the lever 32, and since the member 30 and the lever 32are both secured just under the arm A, the link 38 is positionedparallel to and in line With the arm A itself. Consequently, when theknob I2 is rotated in a clockwise direction, such rotation is permitteduntil the link 38 takes up the position illustrated in Fig. 3, in whichit abuts against the side edge of the arm A. No jamming takes place butrotation of the knob I2 and hence of the holders C and C' is positivelylimited in that direction. When the knob I2 is then rotated in acounter-clockwise direction, rotation is permitted until the link 38takes up the position shown in Fig. 4, in which it once again abutsagainst the side edges of the arm A, thus acting as a positive stop inthe opposite direction of rotation, limiting the rotation of the holdersC and C'.

The members 30 and 30', the lever 32, and the links 38 and 44 are allpreferably formed of the same material as the arms A and B and arepreferably punched or otherwise formed from the same sheet material, thelink 44 thereafter being bent to its proper shape. Since the lever 32 issecured to the arm A at a point relatively close to the connectingportion 6, very little vertical motion of the lever 32 takes place whenthe free ends of the arms A and B are moved toward one another. Whateververtical motion does take place is taken up either by looseness in thepivotal connection defined by the eyelets 34, 36 and 50 or by theresilience of the reversely bent portion 46 of the link 44, thus makingthe structure exceedingly dependable and long-lived.

The use of the device is illustrated in Fig. 1 where a paper pattern 52is shown'superimposed upon a pair of fabric segments 54 and 56. Thepattern 52 is provided with apertures 58 through which the marking unitI4 in the upper holder C is projectable so as to make contact with theupper surface of the fabric segment 54. The arm B is placed upon a tableor other supporting surface and the pattern 52 with the fabric segments54 and 56 attached is inserted between the free ends of the arms A and Bso that the aperture 58 is located above the marking unit I4 in thelower holder C. This, of course, can only be done approximately. Onehand of the user will then grasp the pattern 52 and attached fabric andthe other hand will grasp the handle D and push downwardly thereon so asto cause the free end of the arm A to approach the free end of the armB. When this is done, the marking unit I4 in the upper holder C willcome into registration with the marking unit I4 in the lower holder C'.

vWhen the two marking units I4 are almost in registration, the pattern52 and attached fabric segments 54 and 56 can then be adjusted preciselyuntil the marking unit I4 in the upper holder C passes through theaperture 58. The upper marking unit I 4 is then pressed down against theupper fabric segment 54, this causing the lower fabric segment 56 to bepressed against the registering lower marking unit I4, and the knob I2is then rotated briskly clockwise and counter-clockwise to the limits ofmotion permitted by the positive stop E for a number of oscillations.'Ihis will cause the marking units I4 to be pressed against the fabricsegments and to be rotated thereagainst simultaneously and in oppositedirections, thus marking both segments at the same time, the marks beingexactly opposite one another. When the knob I2 is released, the arm Awill move away from the arm B and the pattern 52 with the fabricsegments 54 and 56 attached Vthereto may then be removed from the markeror moved to a new position for a new marking operation.

Because of the fact that only one hand is required for manipulation ofthe marker itself, the other hand of the user is left free to ensureproper alignment between the marker and the pattern. Because of thepositive stop E, it is impossible for the user to jam the device and hecan direct all of his attention to obtaining proper alignment withouthaving to worry about how far he rotates the handle D. The marker itselfis made from exceedingly inexpensive material, preferably of sheet metalstock, and the parts thereof may be inexpensively formed as by stampingand bending if necessary without having to worry about precisedimensions or close tolerances. The other parts of the marker arescrew-machine-made parts with the exception of the sleeves I8 which maybe molded or otherwise formed most inexpensively. Assembly of the unitis extremely simple and hence it can be produced by unskilled help. Byvirtue of the novel construction of the holders C and C', the life ofthe marking units I4 is materially increasedthey will not be damagedwhen being inserted in or removed from the holders C and C', and theirinsertion or replacement is greatly facilitated. The marker presents aneat and functional appearance quite pleasing to the eye.

While but one embodiment of the present invention has been hereillustrated, it will be understood that many variations may be madetherein, all within the spirit of the invention as deiined in thefollowing claim.

I claim:

A marker comprising an arm having an aperture therein and a holder formarking units rotatably secured on said arm,`said holder comprising atubular portion projecting through said aperture from the top of saidarm to the bottom and having an internal diameter slightly greater thanthe unit to be secured therein, a knob integral and coaxial with saidtubular portion and positioned on the top of said arm, said knob beinglarger than said aperture so as not to be passable therethrough andhaving a bore communicating with the interior of said tubular portion,and a sleeve of resilient material received over said tubular portion,said sleeve having a lip projecting inwardly over the bottom of saidtubular portion around its circumference, the internal diameter of saidlip being slightly smaller than the unit to be secured in said holder,said lip constituting the sole element to make contact with said unitand secure it in position in said holder. Y

LAWRENCE L. DRITZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 737,102 Holt Aug. 25, 1903795,013 Weiler July 18, 1905 1,260,881 Doty Mar. 26, 1918 1,379,608Bailey May 31, 1921 1,603,713 Peterson Oct. 19, 1926 2,134,863 DvorakNov. 1, 1938 2,187,929 Blanc Jan. 23, 1940 2,352,917 Scott July 4, 19442,448,627 Schaffner Sept. 7, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date178,251 Switzerland Feb. 17, 1936

